China grants 9 more tourist attractions with top rating

BEIJING -- Nine more tourist attractions in China have been granted the 5A-level rating, the highest rating for Chinese scenic spots, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The nine tourist attractions include well-known scenic spots such as the Tengwang Pavilion in East China's Jiangxi province, which is ranked as one of the top three renowned towers along the Yangtze River, the Chibi Ancient Battlefield in Central China's Hubei province, which dates back to the Three Kingdom Period (220-280), and the Xi'an City Wall and Stele Forest historic cultural site in North China's Shaanxi province.

China's tourist attractions are graded on a scale from A to AAAAA, based on a series of criteria at the tourist site, including ease of transportation, sanitary conditions and safety. As of last year, 250 tourist attractions in China, including the Palace Museum, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and other world-famous tourist attractions, had been granted the 5A-level rating.

Scenic spots that fail to maintain visitor experience are downgraded.

China's tourism industry has seen rapid development in recent years. During the 2018 National Day holiday, for example, the country's tourism industry raked in over 599 billion yuan (about $87 billion) in revenue from domestic tourists, up over 9 percent compared to the previous year.